Introduction                   Case Study                    Resources

Introduction:

This instructional web site provides information about how to work successfully on group projects. If it is your first visit, click on Survivor #1, #2 and #3 to read about other students' group work experiences. Each page gives some "quick hints" and then is linked to more information from other sources. 

Instructional Objectives: 

Through the use of an instruction web site and case study:

a.    you will be able to identify challenges to successful group work

b.  you will be able to match recommended strategies for meeting group challenges

c.   you will be able create an agenda for an organizational meeting (1^st meeting) that addresses recommended activities and topics for group project work

d. you will be able to identify criteria for successful group project work

e. You will be able to create an individual feedback form designed to motivate group members to work as a team.

  Rationale: 

Today’s employers say that group or team work is an essential skill for being successfully employed in today’s knowledge-based economy. Because of rapid changes in information, it’s generally difficult for any individual to have all the experience and expertise to develop the best possible solutions alone. Consequently, faculty use group projects to help students gain experience in team-type work that is assigned to develop these skills.  Unfortunately, most faculty have limited group or team training. It is highly unusual for students to be given ideas about the process or recommended strategies for successful group project work. Normally, it’s from a trial and error basis that students learn about groups and teams. Often, it can be a frustrating experience that results in negative attitudes about teams.  As a result, this instructional web site was designed to help students learn how to proactively plan for group work, to get ideas about how to solve group problems and to better understand the characteristics of effective teams and team assessment.

You can use this site for:

A class assignment about group work by reading the Case Study (click on the link at the top). There are three assignments about the case study. Responses should be e-mailed to the instructor for feedback. To complete the projects, you will need to review all topics linked to each web page.

Help as you begin to work on a group project or attempt to solve a group problem by going directly to the topic area.

A list of  the references used for the site as well as URL's for the linked PDF files, Word documents and web sites. Go to the  Resources link above.